Got Training Questions, Ask the Coach
Almost everything that I post on the site, are things I have tried, have experience with or have researched myself and am about to try. We can all do with some expert advice when we need it. Recently, when I realised that training in the heat gave me a real fitness boost, I set out to do some research so that I could put an article together describing what had happened. I came across Running Strong, which is a US based coaching group. What intrigued me was their Ask the Running Coach Blog, so I posted a question about heat training and my...
read moreMy Running Progress Report – April
Welcome to my April Progress Report! Each month I publish a report with the aim of transparently showing how following a simple regular running plan is helping me lose weight and keep that weight off for good (as time will hopefully tell). April has been another record month for me. I am feeling more confident with very run and I am lucky enough to still be seeing some weight loss even though I have not yet made any substantial changes to my diet. But as ever there have been downs along with the ups. My Progress Report – The Numbers Each...
read moreEveryday Cross-Training Tips
Running is one of the best exercises to build into your lifestyle but it shouldn’t be the only thing that you do. Cross-training is all about using exercises other than running to improve your overall fitness and stay balanced. Just as a balanced diet is massively important for your nutritional well being and health, a balanced approach to exercise will help ensure your fitness gains are well rounded. But cross-training is not about using elliptical trainers, circuit training, steppers or other gym based stuff, in fact as a runner you...
read moreRunning in the Rain, Bliss!
Many days I sit and think what it would be like to run in beautiful locations. I think of my dream places to run. Along beaches, lake sides, into the sunset or out of the sunrise, in clear blue skies and perfect weather. A sub tropical paradise, I think to myself “that’s what I need”. And its true, that would be a pretty cool experience, especially if you throw in a few mountains as a backdrop. I’d feel privileged to be able to live somewhere where I could do that. But today I realised that that’s not really...
read moreRunning in the heat does boost your fitness
Professional athletes and their coaches have long known that to perform well in the heat you have to train in the heat, for weeks in advance. So what does this mean for beginners like us? Well if you get the chance to run in the heat, take it! whether on holiday, business travel or a heat wave at home. It can boost your fitness. Here are the facts. The Impact of Heat When athletes train in higher temperatures than they’re used to, their bodies are going though a lot of adaptation. The thing is, those adaptations are very similar to...
read moreMy Running Progress Report – March
Welcome to my March Progress Report! Every month, I publish an update on my progress as I run to lose weight. By following my own advice and training ideas, I intend to make regular running a habit and lose the weight I have always wanted to shift, for good. By transparently reporting on my progress, you can judge for yourself whether running to lose weight works and if it’ll work for you too. To be honest, posting these is a huge motivator for me! So thanks’s for taking the time to read this and a big thanks to everyone who...
read moreMy Running Progress Report – February
At the start of February I decided to pick up again on my progress reports on the blog and own up to the pledge I made when I started out, back in October. That was to be transparent about my progress and let you all know how successful, or unsuccessful, I had been whilst I was following my own training plan. Back in the early days of the site, I took to posting regular updates whilst I completed the first 5 weeks of the training plan. This was quite cathartic for me but didn’t always make good content for the site. I felt I was...
read moreManaging your Running Pace: 5 Tips for Beginners
When you begin running you can often be stuck between finding a comfortable pace and knowing at what pace you should be running. After all, if you are an absolute beginner the whole experience is new. You don’t know what a comfortable pace should feel like. But don’t fret. As you build experience and become a more seasoned runner (it won’t take that long, trust me) you’ll settle into a comfortable pace. But there are some things to watch out for, whether you are on a beginners plan or have advanced past that...
read moreGood Upper Body Running Form
Running with good form is more than just getting your footfall and stride right. Running is about propelling your whole body forward at speed and your whole body stays involved, for better or worse. Just take a look at professional sprinters and how much upper body muscle they have. Plently! and they need that strength to burst into and power through a sprint. Now, lets take a step back into our non-athlete parallel universe. We are (generally?) not that interested in developing our upper bodies for speed, after all its hard enough to shift...
read moreHow to take a few days off from running; Stub your toe!
As careful as I have been to pace my training plan properly, to allow my body to adapt to the extra stresses and not to overexert myself. Thanks to my bathroom door I am have had to skip a running session this week! And my habit forming approach to my current stage of training was going so well too. I even had started a little streak! Until I smacked my foot into the bathroom door on Monday morning, 7am and dislocated my little toe in the process! How do I know I dislocated it? Well this is the second time now, so I know how it feels. (it is...
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